Fear
by Anonymistress
Summary: Fear. It can control anyone... And Marinette Dupain-Cheng is next. She's running, running, running... She frantically calls Alya, but can she really explain anything when she's so terrified?
1. Chapter 1

Marinette Dupain-Cheng raced through the dark, flickering lights of the alley, breathing hard. "Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap!" she muttered, as she turned and continued to run, not risking a single glance back behind her. The girl had never ran faster in her life, she was sure, and the adrenaline pumping through her system and the fear that had taken hold of her mind was the only thing keeping her going at this point.

The fearful bluenette fumbled for her phone, trying hard to pick the right icons to call Alya. The reading, clicking, and scrolling - it was hard to do while running, but it had to be done. She regretted not putting her best friend on speed dial. It started ringing, and she put the device to her ear.

"Hey, this is Alya Cesaire! I'm not available at the moment, but feel free to leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can! Beep!" her friend's ringtone cheerfully announced.

Marinette slowed her pace, forcing herself to take deeper breaths. "Hey, Alya, it's me, Marinette... I didn't know who else to call..." She glanced behind her, and stopped, finally finding herself alone, in this deep darkness. "I'm terrified... It's happening again. But this time, it isn't just a dream... Alya, I'm so scared..."

She looked around, quickly, eyes darting at the slightest movement in the dim moonlight. But she seemed to be in the clear... For now. She gulped, and allowed her muscles to relax a little.

"I'm afraid... I can't go on forever, I know that... But that _thing_ can't either, can it? It'll have to stop... Right?" She glanced around again, licking her dry lips. Her heartbeat was slowing, that was good...

A sudden sound behind her! She turned, quickly and fluidly, and found herself face to face with a black cat, sifting through garbage. She let out a relieved sigh, shoulders slowly slumping.

She shook, trembled, really, still on high alert. "I just don't know... If it has already stopped. But... I do know that I probably can't outrun it. There's a box on my bed... I want you to have it, in case... In case something bad happens."

From the corner of her eye, she saw it, and turned, with a gasp, before speeding quickly in the opposite direction. Tears began to gather in her eyes from the wind. Her heart beat so fast, she felt like it might explode. She forced herself to swallow again, even though her core felt like it was burning.

She gasped as she came upon it - a dead end. She glanced behind her. That _thing_ was still there, slowly, torturously approaching. "Alya..." the girl muttered, phone still pressed to her ear. "Please promise me... Promise me you'll try your best. Don't hold back... And good luck," she whispered, as the wicked little butterfly flew so close to her.. She dropped the phone, and in a second, Marinette Dupain-Cheng was gone. Another second later, all the lights came back on.

(A/N: you're probably like "hey, why does the akuma influence the lighting of the place? For dramatic effect, of course! Also, if you watch Stormy Weather, you can see the same sort of thing happening to the girl in the elevator. I may or may not continue this, depending on how well it is received. I hope you enjoyed!)


	2. Chapter 2

"...And, good luck."

Alya stared into the darkness, her phone still pressed to her ear. She felt trapped, frozen by fear. But not the fear that had gripped Marinette. Not even close.

"If you'd like to save this message, press one. If you'd like to delete this-" Alya pressed the hang up button. She felt so numb... Her limbs had turned into liquid. She looked at her phone, and found the address - the location of Marinette's phone. She'd be able to see the scene, the very place that her best friend had been taken.

She swallowed hard, and stood up, beginning out the door. Marinette's phone came second. First? First came the box on the girl's bed.

Alya raced to the bakery, dimly nodded to Marinette's parents, who spoke to her but the words didn't reach. She felt so far away, like in reality, she was in space.

Finally, she reached the bluenette's room. On her unkempt bed was a hexagonal box with strange markings on it. Alya's breath caught. "No way," she whispered, slowly shaking her head as she reached for it.

She picked it up, and held it up to her face. She knew what this box was. Tears gathered in her eyes, as she opened it, and a bright flash of red light came from it.

The light faded, and revealed a red bug-like floating thing. She knew the word for it. "Kwami," she whispered, her heart in her stomach.

The _kwami_ opened its eyes, and looked rather confused, but smiled anyway. "Hi! I'm Tikki, and I'm a-"

"Kwami," Alya repeated with a subtle nod. "I know..." Her throat was dry, as she swallowed. Tears began to form in her eyes.

Her eyes widened. "Don't cry, Alya, it's okay!" the little thing chirped, and hugged her cheek.

"It's not okay! Marinette... She... She's gone. They _took_ her," she growled, gently touching the creature on her cheek.

Tikki's eyes widened. "Oh no," she whispered. "There there, Alya, we will help your friend - just put on those earrings, okay?"

The girl noticed the earrings in the box. The earrings Marinette always wore. Except today. With a deep breath, she slowly clipped them to her ears.

The kwami nodded and smiled. "That's it, Alya... It's going to be okay, trust me."

"But Marinette..." the girl muttered, tears swelling in her eyes.

Tikki looked pained. "We'll find her, and it will be okay... Have faith in yourself and her. After all, you survived, didn't you?" the kwami reminded her with a smile.

Alya's eyes widened, and she shuddered, as the memories came back to her. "I don't want to think about that..." she looked away, at the ground.

"I'm sorry... But you need to know that she will make it, just like you did! And the best thing you can do for Marinette right now is let her know that you're safe!" the kwami cheerfully chirped, with a smile.

The girl glanced at Tikki, before smiling softly too. "Yeah... I guess you're right..."

* * *

Hawk Moth stared into the endless darkness of his lair, his lip curled in a smile.

"There are only three rules of the akuma," he began, eyes hardening.

He chuckled, gripping his staff. "Only three," he repeated.

* * *

Alya stared at Tikki. "So, what are the words?"

"It's 'spots on'," the kwami gently replied, with a smile.

The girl took a deep breath. "Alright, Tikki... Spots on!"

* * *

"Rule number one... The akuma cannot be denied." Hawk Moth stopped, lifting his head to gaze out his window, a wicked grin slipping onto his lips.

"Once an akuma is sent, there is nothing, I repeat, nothing, that can stop it..."

* * *

Ladybug leapt out the window, with a grin. She used her yo-yo to swing forward, towards the location she was sure Marinette's phone would be located - if someone else hadn't found it already. She dimly wondered if there would be anything else there... Maybe the girl herself, if she was lucky.

* * *

"Rule number two... The akuma is driven by a single emotion - fear. It seeks out the afraid, the terrified..." He glanced at the ground, at his reflection, with a thoughtful frown.

The supervillain took a deep breath, "The more powerful the fear, the more powerful the akuma."

* * *

The spotted superheroine swung into the alley, to see a black cat eating from a garbage can. She raised an eyebrow at it, but reached to pet it, anyway. The thing was docile, and allowed her to. "Good kitty... Do you know where Marinette went?" asked Ladybug, heart pounding.

With a nudge, it gestured towards the darker part of the alley. She gasped, when she saw it - the black splotches on the ground, the police tape across the alley. She quickly swung over.

* * *

"And, finally, rule number three... The akuma causes permanent change. The longer the akumatized, the bigger the change... If left with the victim long enough, the two will be in separable," he finished with a satisfied grin.

A shuffling sound behind him. His eyes widened, as he turned around.

"Good, you're finally here."


End file.
